Norm Coleman urges GOP to take on immigration

Former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman Coleman said he believes his evolution on immigration is reflective of many Americans' stance on the issue. (Pioneer Press file photo: Chris Polydoroff)

A week after Hispanic voters helped President Barack Obama win another four years in office, a prominent Minnesota Republican is calling on his party to reform immigration laws so immigrants living in the U.S. illegally can become legal rather than be deported.

Former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman made his pitch in an opinion piece for the Pioneer Press posted online Thursday, Nov. 15, departing from stances he took five years ago while in office.

Coleman said he believes his evolution on immigration is reflective of many Americans' stance on the issue, and it's time to allow otherwise law-abiding immigrants pathways to citizenship so they can be vocal and visible members of society.

"It's time we reject the notion that we are going to send 12 million fellow human beings back to places they fled to escape poverty, crime and hopelessness," he wrote.

"It's time we, as conservatives --as Republicans -- as Americans -- embrace the fact that the failure to stem illegal immigration to America is a shared failure by leaders of both political parties -- including our own."

Coleman is among a growing number of Republican leaders and insiders calling for immigration reform after an election in which a growing number of Hispanic voters shunned GOP candidates. Obama won 71 percent of the Hispanic vote, up from 67 percent in 2008, according to exit polls.

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"Obviously, Republicans are starting to see the handwriting on the wall from these past election results," said Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party chairman Ken Martin.

"Their message and candidates are appealing to a smaller and smaller segment. They need to find a way to appeal to a broader base or they'll continue to lose elections."

Republican Mitt Romney, who backed hard-line immigration measures, received just 27 percent of Hispanic support, less than any presidential candidate in the past 16 years. President George W. Bush won 44 percent in 2004.

Manuel Guerrero, president of the nonpartisan Minnesota Latino Caucus, said most Hispanics are working-class and their values fit more readily with the Democratic agenda.

And even more have shied away from Republicans as the anti-immigration rhetoric has heated up. In Minnesota, the proposed voter ID amendment pushed more Hispanics to the left, Guerrero said, because they felt it was an attempt to suppress their votes.

In contrast, Obama said last summer that officials would grant work permits to those who came undocumented to the United States as children and had served in the military or were students who had graduated from high school.

"This election presents some tremendous opportunities for Latinos," Guerrero said. "They've been turned off by one party and are becoming more civically engaged."

Observers said tackling immigration is a necessity for the Republican Party -- not only to attract Hispanic voters, but to respond to changing attitudes in the general electorate.

About two-thirds of voters said most undocumented immigrants should be offered a chance to apply for legal status rather than be deported, according to exit polls. And a Washington Post-ABC News poll released this week had support at 57 percent -- up from 49 percent in 2007.

When Coleman served in the Senate, he at times took a more moderate stance on immigration issues than many of his Republican colleagues.

In 2007, he backed a provision allowing hundreds of thousands of temporary foreign workers to enter the country under two-year visas. He also opposed anti-terror laws that disqualified many Hmong refugees from coming to the U.S.

But that same year, Coleman wanted cities to stop barring police officers from asking about immigration status. And he ultimately joined the majority of Senate Republicans to block Bush's plan to reform immigration laws by legalizing as many as 12 million unlawful immigrants while fortifying the borders.

Coleman is now a senior government adviser for the Hogan Lovalls law firm in Washington, D.C., and head of the American Action Network, an advocacy and political fund that last year started the Hispanic Leadership Network to engage the community in "center-right issues."

"If we can't connect with the Latino community, we can't be a majority party. The math doesn't add up," Coleman said.

Bill Blazar, senior vice president of public affairs and business development at the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, said business leaders across the state applaud Coleman for speaking out.

The chamber is part of the Minnesota Business Immigration Coalition, a group of companies and organizations pushing for such reform.

Immigrant rights advocates hope support from business leaders and movement within the GOP could open the door to comprehensive immigration reform.

But it still will be tough, particularly in the Republican-controlled House, said John Keller, executive director of the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. And he said Minnesota's three GOP members, along with Democrat Colin Peterson, will be a good test case to see if reform can pass the House.

It's unclear. Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann declined through her spokesman to comment on the issue. GOP Rep. John Kline's office could not be reached for comment.

Martin, Minnesota's Democratic leader, said voters will see through on undelivered promises, immigration included.